Just Happy Beginnings
by secretfanficlover
Summary: Puff!Harry, showing tolerance to anyone, regardless of affiliations. Not growing up with the Dursleys- because the poor child deserves some happiness in his life. He is reluctant to leave for school, worried about living up to expectations


**This story is based on characters and situations created and owned by JK Rowling, various publishers including but not limited to Bloomsbury Books, Scholastic Books and Raincoast Books, and Warner Bros., Inc. No money is being made and no copyright or trademark infringement is intended.**

House: Hufflepuff

Year: 4

Category: 4

Prompt: "I'm not ready to leave."

Word Count: 1730

Note: Puff!Harry, showing tolerance to anyone, regardless of affiliations. Not growing up with the Dursleys- because the poor child deserves some happiness in his life.

Beta: Aya

Subject & Task No: Alchemy Task 3: Citrinitas, a yellowing or xanthosis - write about a character facing something traumatic

Yearly:

Herbology:

Mixed Random Seed: [Character] Remus Lupin

1000 Prompts: 276 [Pairing] Sirius/Remus aka Wolfstar love

365 Words: 5 [Word] Superior

Monthly:

Assorted Appreciation: Honor to us all - write about living up to family's expectations

Amber's Attic: "What's so bad about being ordinary?"

Liza's Lyrics: Five - Keep On Movin' - "But I know things will be alright in the end"

Film Festival: [Plot] Making friends

Bex's Basement: "Have a biscuit."

Seasonally:

Days of the Year: 15th June: Smile Power Day- Alternatively, write about helping someone feel better.

Birthstones: Turquoise - (dialogue) "I just had to ask."

Amanda's Challenge: Carl Grimes - Write about child looking up to someone.

Hufflepuff Challenge: Traits: Hardworking

Star Chart: April 12th - Virginid Meteor Shower: (emotion) Insecure

Quarterly:

Oliver Wood: Level 1- Lunges - Harry Potter must be the main character

Bi-Monthly:

Pop Figures: Neville Longbottom: Trevor - (Animal) Toad

Capcom Lives: Strider Hiryu: Plot Point: Belonging to a group

_**Just Happy Beginnings**_

_**Getting A Letter**_

"Harry, what's wrong my boy?" Remus asked when the owl arrived with Harry's letter. He looked suddenly sullen. He sat in silence for a while, and Remus recognized the boy was trying to get his thoughts together. Sirius had been beaming at Harry from the breakfast table; this was exciting news! Harry folded up the piece of parchment, setting it down at the table.

"I don't think I should go to Hogwarts yet," Harry said suddenly. Sirius's mouth dropped open in surprise, and Remus put down his knife and fork.

"Why do you say that, Harry?" Remus said since his husband couldn't find his voice.

"What if I can't live up to what everyone says? Everyone knows me. I'm famous for something I don't even remember. Do you know what Mr Ollivander said to me when I went to go and get my first wand?" Harry said with a sigh.

"Oh, come on Harry, he is just an old git," Sirius responded finally.

"He said it was clear that the wizarding world can expect _great things_ from me," Harry continued. "_Great things_, he says, but I'm _just Harry_."

"Dear boy," Remus said kindly, "Of course you are ready. You are a great child and you will be a wonderful wizard."

"Well then, _just Harry_, what should we do?" Sirius said.

"What's so bad about being ordinary?" Remus interjected as well.

"Nothing, I suppose, it's just. . . people want more than that and I don't want to disappoint anyone," Harry said.

"My boy, we will always be proud of you, no matter what happens," Sirius responded.

"Can't I wait and go to school next year?" Harry asked seriously. His two guardians looked at him like he grew a second head. "I just had to ask," he added with a sigh.

Perhaps a little more encouragement was needed after all. They had not expected this reluctance from him. They knew the pressure he was growing up under would make things more difficult for him, but he needed to have as close to a normal childhood as possible—and this meant they needed to let him go to Hogwarts. Although they knew that he would have an inner struggle, it is a wonderful right of passage in every child's life, and most looked forward to getting their letter as soon as they understood they would be going to school with other gifted witches and wizards their own age.

"Harry, the best adventures of your life lie ahead of you, it's natural to be scared, but we know that by the end of the year you will have changed your mind and we will need to drag you back home," Remus said.

"I doubt that, I'm not ready to leave," Harry insisted.

"And you know you can send Hedwig any time with a letter from school every day if needed," Sirius added helpfully. He didn't want to admit the house would be missing a part without him there.

_**Platform 9**__**3/4**_

"Harry; come on then," said Sirius cheerfully, grabbing the Floo Powder.

"We need to get a move on you know. You don't want to miss the train."

"Sirius, do you think my parents would be disappointed if I don't get placed in Gryffindor?" he asked his one legal guardian. He had heard all about this parents, Sirius, and Remus all being chosen for Gryffindor, and he didn't want to be a disappointment to them.

Sirius shook his head in dismay. "Remus, would you mind?" he asked his partner.

Remus pulled the eleven-year-old boy with midnight black hair; emerald green eyes, and lighting bolt scar; into his arms. "Darling boy, have we not taught you that your House means nothing? You get cunning Gryffindors, disloyal Hufflepuffs. All we care about is you going to Hogwarts and being happy," Remus replied.

"Remember what we told you about Wormtail living up to the name," Sirius added.

"But. . ." Harry started but was cut off by his guardian.

"Harry, we love you. Your parents wouldn't want you worrying about such a silly thing, but if it truly matters _that_ much, the Sorting Hat takes that into consideration," Sirius said, simultaneously shoving Floo powder into the young boys' hand. They needed to get onto the platform.

"Come on now, Harry," Remus urged the boy on.

"I'm not ready to leave," he complained before muttering "Platform 93/4," loudly and clearly, and shortly after he appeared at the station, his two guardians followed him out of the grate.

Remus chuckled and wiped the soot of Harry's shoulders. "You never did quite get the hang of Floo powder, huh Harry?" Remus said, smiling. Harry was so much like his father, and quite the look-a-like as well. The only difference was those emerald green eyes—Lily Potter's eyes.

They watched until he got onto the train; but gave him space when they noticed a small pointy faced blond boy walking up to Harry and holding out a hand for him to shake. Harry and Draco were in deep discussion; chatting about Houses and their parents; but Harry didn't forget to turn around just before he boarded the train to wave cheerfully at Remus and Sirius Lupin-Black. Draco curiously looked over at the two men; then followed Harry onto the train.

They quickly found a compartment and Harry said happily, "Those are my godfather's, you know."

Draco nodded. "Of course, everyone knows your story Harry; my father said He-Who-Must-Not-Be-Named had never failed, until you," Draco responded softly. The conversation had become sombre but Harry knew it was best to get this unpleasantness out of the way earlier rather than later.

"Let me tell you a secret," Harry said, making Draco perk up. "Dumbledore almost made me go live with _Muggles_. My mother's sister. Now I have nothing against Muggles, but Sirius says they wrote off my Mum just because she was a witch, and that I believe is really nasty," Harry said.

"Wow, did they ever tell you why?" Draco asked curiously.

"Nope. All Remus would say is Dumbledore thought the fame would go to my head or something," Harry chuckled.

"I was quite isolated mostly, it's odd having strange witches and wizards want to shake your hand on the streets," Harry said with a curious smile.

A small ginger-haired boy opened the door to their compartment. His robes were tatty and his wand had seen better days. The boy shared a look with Draco that Harry noticed, but then he turned to Harry with trepidation. "You mind, everywhere else is full?" the boy asked.

Harry nodded and gestured to the seat across from him. The boy sat himself down. "I'm Ron by the way, Ron Weasley," he said.

"Harry. Harry Potter," Harry responded; and when it seemed the blond wasn't going to respond he added, "and that's Draco Malfoy." gesturing to the boy seated next to him.

"I know," Ron muttered. Harry couldn't understand why these two didn't seem to get along, but before he could comment on the subtle hostility, the compartment door opened again.

"Anything off the trolley, dears?" The trolley witch asked cheerfully, and Harry got a couple of sweets to share with his new friends.

"Have a biscuit," he said to both of them, passing the packet over to them.

Once Harry realised the problem lay with not Ron and Draco, but their parents, he knew how to approach this. "So you're judging someone you don't know based on your parents opinion of an entire bloodline?" he asked, eyebrows raised.

"Harry, his family loves Muggles."

"Harry, his father was a Death Eater."

They protested simultaneously.

"Oh goodness," Harry started, "first of all, Draco's parents raised him, but that doesn't mean he agrees with them. Draco, shame on you for suggesting that Purebloods are superior to Muggle-borns."

A bushy-haired girl with a serious expression chose to open the compartment door and said seriously, "Anyone in here see a toad, a boy named Neville has lost one?" she asked. As they shook their heads, she seemed to take a look at the odd three in the compartment.

"You're Harry Potter," she exclaimed suddenly. "I'm Hermione Granger," she continued, "I read all about you." Harry laughed in good nature and introduced her to the now silent boys. Just a while after that she was off again, probably looking for a toad.

_**The Sorting Hat decides. **_

"Hufflepuff!" the Hat exclaimed after a small pause. The Hufflepuff table exploded into cheers as Harry moved over to join their table. Ron, Hermione, and Draco were clapping along, disappointed they wouldn't be in the same house. The other Hufflepuffs quickly made Harry feel at home, and although he wasn't with his friends, he felt like the Hat had made the right choice.

Kind

Hardworking

Loyal

Caring

These are traits any wizard should strive to have.

Albus Dumbledore clapped along and watched as the boy joined the table of yellow and black. _'Curious,'_ he thought as he watched the last students get placed in their houses and then he stood up to give his customary speech. Harry shared a glance with Draco, then he showed a thumbs up sign to Ron and Hermione, and then he settled in to listen to the great Albus Dumbledore.

At the end of the year, the four friends stood at the platform to board the train, hugging and saying goodbye because they knew their parents wouldn't be happy with this delicate new friendship of Gryffindors, a Hufflepuff, a Ravenclaw and a Slytherin.

"I'm not ready to leave," Harry said, smiling sadly at his friends. Even though they all had promised to write, he knew he would miss seeing their faces every day.

"But I know things will be alright in the end," Draco said thoughtfully, the boys taking one last look at the school together.

Suddenly, a thought came to him, Remus and Sirius saying how before the end of the year he would feel so at home at Hogwarts that he wouldn't want to go back to Grimmauld Place.

_Maybe not quite that badly, but I wouldn't mind getting them all over to visit me before we need to go back to school. _Harry understood that there would always be a divide between Ron and Draco, but he felt like he was just the glue they needed to keep the two boys, and Hermione, all together in the end.


End file.
